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A frTROKOMY 



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Class Q.lB h 3/ 

Book L_EkC 

Gopiglrtlf 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



FREEBURG'S 

Manual of Astronomy 



AliFJRED FREEBURG 

Author and Proprietor 



1903 

LOWMAN & HAN FORD STATIONERY AND PRINTING CO. 

Seattle. Wash. 



There are Eight Diagrams scattered through the Book 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Receivec' 

APR -17 1903 

^ Copyright Entry 
CLASS 0- XXc, No. 

SI & i 

COPY B. 



Copyright the Nineteenth of January 

Ninteen Hundred and Three 

By Alfred Freeburg 






General Contents 

<% 

i . The Earth 7 

II. The Earth and the Zodiac Signs 12 

III. The Moon 15 

IV. The Sun 21 

V. The Solar Spots 22 

VI. The Planet Mercury 22 

VII. The Planet Jupiter 23 

VIII. The Planet Venus 24 

IX. The Planet Mars 25 

X. The Stars 25 

XI. Double Stars 27 

XII. The Milky Way .' 27 

XIII. Longuscope : 28 

XIV. Eclipse of the Sun and the Moon 29 

XV. Shooting Stars and Comets 30 

XVI. Magnitude 31 



INTRODUCTION 



T 

[ HE problem is solved. There will be no more 
wonder ; how our mother earth is traveling in space 
alongside of her sisterhood of planets and stars. The 
stars did not all come into existence at one time. 
The existence of one of these stars runs up into in- 
calculable time. The stars or planets go through 
many great changes. They are first cinders from 
the sun and then they work off into space from the 
sun and cool off, and then they become a mineral 
globe, like our moon. It is a mineral kingdom ; it 
has no atmosphere and no density or water on its 
surface. 

The heaven is a great dome. It contains many 
great objects, and their great distance from us and 
how they can exist without a foundation or some- 
thing to hold them up is mysterious to most any 
man's mind. But nature has brought them there to 
stay for innumerable ages. These bodies are held in 
check by an magnetic current from our sun. This 
magnetic current is caused by the heat from the sun 
and cooled by space, and works nearly on the same 
principle as load stone. The object of wTiting this 
book is to give the people of the world a full under- 
standing, as far as I am able to explain, what I have 
observed in the star heaven and studied nature for 
thirty-five years. My aim is to give to the w r orld 
the truth as far as I understand it. I have treated 
in this book on all the objects in space that can be 
seen with a naked eye. In my next publication treat- 
ing on the heavenly bodies I will give very nearly 
the exact distance to the sun and the moon. I think 
the distance given to the sun is too great or the 
moon is too near to the earth. 



The Earth. 

The earth's motion in space, the center of the or- 
bit of our earth, is a little to the west of the north 
star or Polaris. It is about four millions of miles 
below or underneath the north star. The orbit in 
which our earth is traveling, to receive its light and 
heat from the sun, is a true circle and is about two 
millions and two hundred thousands of miles in 
diameter, and its circumference is about seven mill- 
ions of miles. Diagram figure one shows our earth 
in four different positions on its orbit — in the winter 
when it is nearest to the sun, and in the summer 
when it is farthest from the sun, and in the spring 
and autumn of the year when the days and nights 
are equal. 

The speed of our earth on its orbit is about eight 
hundred miles an hour, and its rotation toward the 
sun is about one thousand and thirty-eight miles an 
hour. Our earth travels from the west to the east 
on its orbit ; it also rotates from the west to the 
east toward the sun. This orbit which I have dis- 
covered is the true orbit of our earth, which is seen 
in diagram figure two, where it shows the earth on 
its orbit in the spring and autumn of the year, when 
the days and nights are equal. The scale drawing 
of these diagrams of the earth and its orbit requires 
the sun to be six feet off from one of this diagram to 
give the right light to the earth. The explanation 
of our earth on its orbit commence at the first of the 
year, or January the first. The earth travels east 
one-quarter of its orbit when the day and night are 
equal ; then it is spring of the year and east of Po- 
laris. Thence it passes on its way to its farthest 



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EARTH 9 

point in the north from our sun, when we have the 
summer and our longest days, when the sun shines 
most direct over our northern country. Then it ret- 




rogrades on the west side on its orbit and west of 
Polaris. Then it is autumn, and the days and nights 
are equal again. Then it retrogrades to its place of 
beginning, when it is winter and the earth is near- 
est to the sun, causing our shortest days, as seen in 
diagram figure tiir^f 

The north star is nearly in the center of the zodiac 
signs, and our earth passes through these signs in 
about three hundred and sixty-five and one-quarter 
of a day on its orbit. If our earth should pass away 
from the north star one hundred and eighty-five 
millions of miles farther than it is at the present 
time, and pass around the sun in the south and ret- 
rograde to its place of beginning, we would not see 
the north star for nine months in the year. If our 
earth should travel around the sun, its speed on its 
orbit would be over sixty-six thousand miles an 
hour, and it would be nearly sixty-six times as fast 



io ASTRONOMY 

as a cannon ball travels after it is shot out of the 
cannon. I think the earth would have an awful 
time at such a speed. Our earth could not possibly 
travel one hundred and eighty-five millions of miles 




Summer. 




F5i£Je>- 



T 

from the north star and pass around the sun and 
still be the same distance from the north star and 
always pointing toward the north star at the same 
time. There is not a star or planet in space that 
travels around the sun. Any star or planet that 
would have to travel at that speed could exist but a 
short time. It could not maintain its atmosphere, 
but relieve itself of its density and would enter into 
vacuum and go to eruption. 

The moon has a greater speed in space than any 
of the other heavenly bodies that are known to ex- 
ist, and it hasnt' any more than one-sixtieth part the 
speed that the astronomers claim the earth has. Now 
I will make a comparison in the distance and size of 
the sun and the planet Jupiter. Now the astrono- 
mers claim that the nearest Jupiter is to the earth is 
three hundred and sixty-three millions of miles. 

The sun is claimed to be ninety-one and one-half 
millions of miles from our earth. 

The size of the sun at that distance looks to be 
about the size of a man's head. Now, it is also 



EARTH ii 

claimed by the astronomers that the sun is over 
one thousand times larger than Jupiter, and it is un- 
derstood by the figures that are given before that 
Jupiter is nearly four times farther from the earth 
than the sun. Now the size of the two planets and 
its distance from the earth will show that Jupiter 
is so far off from the earth that it never could be 
seen with a naked eye at any time. Now, another 
particular notice is the stars about Polaris. They 
all seem to be traveling around Polaris and the as- 
tronomers cannot give any account for it. The 
seven stars that are called the big dipper, or part of 
the constellation the big bear, are best known about 
the north star. These stars, with all the rest of the 
stars about Polaris, seem to be making a trip around 
Polaris once a year. I claim that it is not these stars 
that are passing around Polaris. The drawing in 
this book will show the cause of these circumpolar 
stars and all other stars that seem to be passing 
around Polaris. The reason for our earth's travel- 
ing on an orbit from the north to the south is be- 
cause it works on an expansion and contraction 
which are caused by the heat from the sun. The 
earth expands at the south pole when we have win- 
ter at the north pole, and the north pole expands 
when theie is winter at the south pole. The pole 
that receives heat from the sun expands and the 
othei pole contracts, and this forms a magnetic cur- 
rent which causes the earth to pass a certain dis- 
tance from the sun, and then retrogrades. 

What makes it look like the sun is traveling north 
in the summer is the position the earth is in on its 
orbit. The earth stands about ten degrees out of 
perpendicular. The north pole of our earth leans 
towards the sun at midsummer, when the earth is 



12 ASTRONOMY 

farthest from the sun, and the rounding of the earth 
is what makes it look like the sun is passing north 
in the summer. Diagram figure three shows the 
position of the earth in the winter and in the sum- 
mer on its orbit. 

What made me think that our earth had its orbit 
underneath the north star was because I observed 
that the stars in the northern constellation appear 
to be passing around Polaris once in three hundred 
and sixty-five and one-quarter days. The big dip- 
per, or the circumpolar stars, is so called because 
it is the first stars to be seen passing around Po- 
laris. These stars are north of Polaris and also 
north of the sun, and our earth passes them in the 
month of June about six o'clock in the evening. 
Then these stars are directly over our heads. 



THE ZODIAC SIGNS. 

The earth is passing through the zodiac signs, 
commencing in the winter solstice at six p. m., when 
our earth is on the south side of its orbit, or nearest 
to the sun, and is traveling east on its orbit. In 
January we pass the first sign of the zodiac. It is 
the Aries — the Ram. It is four stars of second and 
third magnitude. These stars are about seventy de- 
grees from Polaris. In February Ave are passing 
through the second sign — Taurus, the Bull. This 
constellation is eleven stars of first, second, third 
and fourth magnitude. This sign resembles a U to 
the east and a V to the west. This constellation is 
about seventy degrees from Polaris. 



ZODIAC SIGNS 13 

And this sign or constellation is southeast of Po- 
laris. This sign can be known by a group of nine 
big stars of first and second magnitude, and is called 
Orion. These stars are seventy- five degrees from 
Polaris. The third sign is Gemini — the Twins. In 
March the earth passes through this sign of eight 
stars of first and second magnitude, about sixty de- 
grees from Polaris, very near east of Polaris. In 
April we pass through the fourth sign, Cancer — the 
Crab — three stars of the second magnitude.. These 
stars are in the shape of one-eighth of a circle and 
are about eighty degrees from Polaris. In May we 
pass the fifth sign, Leo — the Lion — composed of 
twelve stars of the first and second magnitude. This 
constellation is about eighty degrees from Polaris. 
In June the earth passes the sixth sign, Virgo — the 
Virgin. These stars are of the first and second 
magnitude and are about ninety degrees from Po- 
laris and are about north of the north star. 

In July we pass through, the seventh sign — Libra, 
the balance. It is composed of six stars of first, sec- 
ond and third magnitude, four forming nearly a 
square figure, and is about one hundred and ten de- 
grees from Polaris. In August we pass through the 
eighth sign — Scorpio, the Scorpion — sixteen stars of 
first, second and third magnitude. These are one hun- 
dred and twenty degrees from Polaris and are north- 
west of "the north star. The position of these stars 
resembles a real scorpion. In September we pass 
through the ninth sign — Sagitarius, the Archer — 
thirteen stars of the second magnitude. These stars 
are one hundred and twenty degrees nearly west 
from Polaris. The six stars in this constellation 
form a triangle. In October the earth passes the 
tenth sign, or Capricornus, the Goat, composed of 



i 4 ASTRONOMY 

stars of second and third magnitude, situated about 
one hundred and fifteen degrees from Polaris. In 
November we pass the eleventh sign, Aquarius, the 
Waterman — twelve stars of second and third mag- 
nitude. This sign is about one hundred and ten de- 
grees from Polaris. The main group of these stars 
is southwest of the north star. In December we 
pass the twelfth sign — Pisces, the Fishes — nine 
stars of second and third magnitude. This sign is 
south of the north star. This constellation is nearly 
a straight line of six stars from the east to the west, 
and three of these nine stars in this sign are form- 
ing a line to the southwest. The line that divides 
the two signs, Pisces, the Fishes, and Aries, the 
Ram, is due north of the sun. So it will be seen 
that the orbit of our earth is north of the sun. 

The astronomer thinks that the sun has a motion 
in space and that the sun is passing toward a point 
also in the constellation Hercules. To my observa- 
tion, I have never discovered that the sun has any 
movement in space. If the sun passes through the 
zodiac signs once a year, on an orbit about six. hun- 
dred millions of miles, and still our earth be travel- 
ing outside of the sun at a distance of ninety-two 
and one-half millions of miles, our earth would be 
so far from the north star that we never would see 
it. The orbit that our earth would be traveling on 
would have to be three hundred and seventy mill- 
ions of miles in diameter. Then our earth would 
have to pass on its orbit about one hundred and 
thirty-two thousand miles an hour. No planet could 
exist at such a speed. 



MOON 15 



THE MOON. 

The moon is a follower of the earth. It gives to 
the earth about three months of light in the year. It 
has three motions in space. In one it follows the 
earth on its orbit around the north star in about three 
hundred and sixty-five and one-quarter of a day. 
The second motion of the moon is an orbit or rev- 
olution about the earth. This revolution is made in 
about twenty-nine and one-half days. The third 
motion is a revolution towards the sun. This mo- 
tion is made in about twenty-four hours and fifty 
minutes. This motion is from the east to the west. 

It appears to an observer that the moon is mak- 
ing a journey around the earth once about every 
twenty-four hours ; but in that time it loses about 
fifty minutes in each rotation that our earth is mak- 
ing towards the moon. Diagram figure four shows 
the motion of the moon towards the earth and the 
sun. The moon's orbit overlaps the orbit of our 
earth once in each revolution. It makes toward the 
earth. The moon revolves from west to east on its 
revolution, but its rotation is from east to west, and 
this motion is made in twenty-four hours and fifty 
minutes, and at the same time it makes these two 
motions it follows the earth on its journey around 
Polaris. Explanation of diagram figure four: a 
is the follow orbit of the moon ; b is the orbit of the 
earth ; c is the revolution orbit of the moon ; d is 
the earth ; e is the moon. Figure four shows a full 
moon, first quarter moon and the last quarter and 
the dark moon, a full revolution on its orbit. 



i6 



ASTRONOMY 



In June the moon rises with its face perpendicu- 
lar, which is shown in figure five. In December the 
moon rises with its face parallel, which is shown in 
figure six, and these changes are constantly going 




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on on account of the moon following the earth on 
its orbit around Polaris, as shown in figure seven. 
The north pole of the moon, Avhich is always facing 



MOON 17 

the earth, is receiving light from the sun about sev- 
en days at each revolution on its orbit as a starting 
point for the moon on its two orbits. For instance, 
the new moon for nineteen hundred and two is on 
the ninth day of Januarv at four o'clock and thirty 



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minutes in the evening. The moon is at a point in 
constellation Mira about one hundred degrees south 
of Polaris, or the Little Bear. The moon will not 
return to the same point as given above on January 
ninth at four o'clock and thirty minutes until two 
thousand four hundred and seventy-seven, or in 
about five hundred and seventy-five years. 

The three motions of the moon and the two -mo- 
tions of the earth make a great factor in calculating 
the eclipse of the moon and the earth. One esti- 
mates nineteen years, when the day of the moon 
returns to the same day of the month as it was nine- 
teen years previous ; or a close calculation terms 
back to about five hundred and seventv-five vears, 



1 8 ASTRONOMY 

when an eclipse of the moon will return where it 
was five hundred and seventy-five years previous, 
or nearly so. 

We are taught the moon has no daily rotation to- 
wards the sun. Diagram figure five shows the ro- 
tation of the moon when it is full moon — how it 
rises in the evening and its position at midnight, and 
when it sets in the morning, at mid-day, and also 
shows that the moons' face has turned clear around 
while it made its motion around the earth toward 
the sun. This revolution is made in twenty-four 
hours and fifty minutes. This is the position of the 
moon in June. Diagram figure six shows the moon's 
position in December, how it revolves toward the 
sun in twenty-four hours and about fifty minutes. 

Diagram figure seven shows how the moon fol- 
lows the earth on its journey around the north star. 



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Figure seven shows the twelve and one-half changes 
of the moon on its orbit while it follows the earth 
on its journey around the north star toward the sun. 



MOON i 9 

The astronomers think the moon has a rotation, but 
this motion is made only once in twenty-nine and 
about one-half days, and is made at the same time 
the moon passes on its orbit, which time is also 
twenty-nine and about one-half days. The heat of 
the moon. The sun gives six and one-quarter times 
more heat to each pole of the moon than our earth 
receives, on account of its short years, which are 
only twenty-nine and about one-half days. 

Figure seven shows one complete full moon, 
which is one-quarter moon on one of its twelve full 
orbits. There are three more quarter-moons on 
this same orbit, and then it is complete and is pass- 
ing on to the next orbit to the east, and so on till 
they are all complete, till the last one, in which the 
moon only makes one-half revolution, as seen in 
figure seven, toward the sun. 

Figure seven. This diagram is marked with let- 
ters ; a is the follow orbit of the moon ; b is rev- 
olution orbit of the moon ; c is the earth ; d is the 
orbit of the earth. 

The speed of the moon in space is greater than 
the sped of the earth. The speed onthe orbit which 
the moon follows the earth on is about one thousand 
and one hundred and ninety miles an hour, and on 
its revolution orbit its speed is about one hundred 
and sixteen miles an hour. Its daily motion toward 
the sun is twenty- four hours and about fifty minutes, 
a little more than the motion of our earth, which 
is about twenty-four hours. The fifty minutes lost 
by the moon is on account of its traveling north and 
south on its orbit, which is traversed in twenty-nine 
and about one-half days. 



20 



ASTRONOMY 



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of the Moon. 





SUN 21 



THE SUN. 

Our sun, the great natural light, never had any 
beginning and never will have an end. It was with 
space, and space never had any beginning and never 
will have an end. The sun was brought into space 
by presure of darkness, and the sun is supported by 
ether and gaseous fluids that exist in space. It is 
brought into the sun by presure of darkness that 
exists outside of the sun, and the magnetic current 
that exists in the sun itself combines with the out- 
side pressure. The substance of ether and gasses 
forced into the sun keep up the great fire of the sun. 
These gasses can never be destroyed, but only es- 
cape in vapor and pass into space, to be again forced 
back into the sun to reburn. Our sun has no move- 
ment in space. It is always south from the center 
of the orbit of our earth. It looks as if the sun 
rises in the northeast in the summer and sets in the 
northwest, but it does not. If a man started to fol- 
low the sun at noon when the sun is at the meridian 
and then traveled west as fast as the earth revolves 
toward the sun, or to the east, and followed the same 
latitude around the earth, he would always have the 
sun in the south, or at the meridian, the same as 
when he first started out. 



22 ASTRONOMY 



THE SOLAR SPOTS. 

There are two kinds of solar spots in or about the 
sun that have been discovered by observers. Those 
in the sun are slag that comes from ether that is con- 
sumed in the sun by fire from gases which are con- 
tinually streaming into the sun, This slag is forming 
large cinders and afterwards forced out from the sun 
into space to cool off. And some of these cinders 
take up an orbit in space and become stars, while 
others go into eruption and become shooting stars. 
The other solar spots that are seen about the sun 
sometimes are stars or planets passing the disc of 
the sun on their orbit. 



THE PLANET MERCURY. 

This little planet Mercury is about one-third 
larger than our satellite, the moon. It does not give 
much light to our earth. Its orbit is in the constel- 
lation Columba and is in the southeast of Polaris 
when it is nearest to our earth. It is about two 
million and five hundred thousand miles distant. 
The orbit of Mercury is about three millions of 
miles in circumference, its periodic time is about 
twenty-nine days, and its speed on its revolutionary 
orbit is about one thousand three hundred and 
eighty-eight miles an hour. Its rotation is un- 
known, but no planet could exist without a rotation. 
Mercury appears to us many times in the year, but 
in the southern part of the heavens always. 



PLANET JUPITER 2$ 



COMPARISON OF MOON AND MERCURY. 

Since the moon is the nearest planet, it will be 
easier to understand its size and distance than any 
other. The moon is over two thousand miles in di- 
ameter and about two hundred and fifty-two thou- 
sand miles from our earth, and at that distance it is 
reduced to less than one foot in diameter. Now, in 
two hundred and fifty-two thousand miles farther 
from our earth, the moon would pass out of sight 
altogether, and then the moon would be but little 
over one-half million of miles from our earth. 
Mercury is one-third the size large than the moon. 
Now, we are taught that Mercury is about* iiity-six 
millions of miles from our sun. The mean distance 
to the sun from our earth is about ninety-two and 
one-half millions of miles. Then deduct thirty-six 
from ninety-two and it leaves Mercury about fifty- 
six millions of miles from our earth. Now we have 
seen the moon reduced to less than one foot in di- 
ameter in that distance. Mercury is about one- 
third larger than the moon. Then Mercury, at fifty- 
six millions of miles from our earth, would also 
pass out of sight ; so we could never see it, not even 
with a telescope, at such a great distance. 



THE PLANET JUPITER. 

The planet Jupiter is a little larger than the earth 
and a little smaller than Venus. The orbit of Jupi- 
ter is not as large as the orbit of Venus. The dis- 
tance to Jupiter from the earth is about six millions 
of miles, and its orbit is about eleven millions of 



24. ASTRONOMY 

miles in circumference, while its periodic time is 
about four hundred and seventy days, or about fif- 
teen and one-half months. The orbit of Jupiter is 
about the constellation Canis Major, or the Little 
Dog, and is a little to the southeast of the zodiac 
sign Gemini. Jupiter is traveling on its orbit about 
nine hundred and seventy-five miles an hour. 

Jupiter gives more light to our earth than any of 
the planets, on account of its being the nearest to 
the earth, except Mercury. It can be seen almost 
any time in the year. One time it is the morning 
star, and at another time it is the evening star. 
The distance of Jupiter from the sun is about ninety- 
five millions of miles. The astronomers claim the 
mean distance of Jupiter from the sun is four hun- 
dred and fifty-seven millions of miles. The mean 
distance of Jupiter from the earth is four hundred 
and seventy millions of miles, and at such a great 
distance Jupiter would have to be twice the size of 
the sun. 



THE PLANET VENUS. 

The planet Venus is larger than our earth and it 
is farther from our earth than Jupiter. Its years are 
longer than the years of our earth. The orbit of 
Venus is about thirteen millions of miles in circum- 
ference, and the motion on its orbit toward the sun 
is about eight hundred and twenty miles an hour. 
Its periodic time, or year, is about six hundred and 
sixty days, or about twenty-two months. It. does 
not give as much light to our earth as Jupiter, and 
is about seven millions of miles from the earth. 



THE PLANET MARS 25 

The orbit of Venus is about constellation Argo, 
east of the north star, and about one hundred and 
twenty degrees from Polaris. Venus gives a very 
bright light when it is about the earth. Its light is 
very nearly white, but Venus does not give light 
very long on each change it takes on its orbit. The 
distance of Venus from the sun is about ninety- 
seven millions of miles. The astronomers claim 
that Venus is seven thousand six hundred and sixty 
miles in diameter — very nearly as large as our earth. 
Its periodic time is about two hundred and twenty- 
five days, and its greatest distance from the sun is 
about sixty-seven millions of miles. It is not a very 
good comparison with her appearance to our earth. 



THE PLANET MARS. 

The planet Mars is larger than Jupiter or Venus. 
Its distance from the earth is about nine millions 
of miles, and its periodic time is about seven hun- 
dred and ninety days. The size of its orbit is about 
sixteen million five hundred thousand miles, while 
the speed on its orbit is about eight hundred sixty- 
nine miles an hour. The orbit of Mars is in the 
southern constellation, and is about two millions of 
miles east of the constellation Argo. The constel- 
lation Argo is about one hundred and twenty de- 
grees east of Polaris, or the Little Bear. Mars does 
not give much light to our earth, as it only appears 
to our earth once in about every other year, and 
when he comes around on his orbit toward our 
earth he gives a light for some time. Mars is slow 
as to speed, considering other bodies in space. 



26 ASTRONOMY 



THE STARS. 

The stars in space that can be seen with the naked 
eye are all dark bodies and are being supported by 
our sun. The planets, so-called, are the nearest bod- 
ies to our earth. The stars are so far from the earth 
that their motion is not much known to us, although 
the stars are planets, the same as our earth. They 
all have an orbit; no object could exist in space 
without an orbit and rotation. These planets were 
once planted in space by the two combined pow T ers 
of space and the sun. The space is the supplier and 
the sun is the builder of dark objects in space. The 
north star is no more than a common star, but on 
account of its being nearly in the center of the orbit 
of our earth, it is more known than any other star. 



THE NORTH STAR. 

To get the right angle to one of the two-inch dia- 
grams in this book, it requires what represents to 
be the north star eight inches off from one of 
these diagrams to give the right distance to the Po- 
laris from the earth. In taking the distance to the 
north star, and employing the longoscope and the 
orbit of the earth for a base, I find the distance to 
the north star does not exceed four millions of miles 
from the earth ; and the orbit of the earth does not 
exceed two millions and two hundred thousand 
miles in diameter. The north star is very nearly as 
large as the earth, and on an average is the nearest 
star to the earth. There are stars nearer to the 
earth sometimes, but these pass away a great dis- 
tance from the earth at intervals. 



MILKY IVA Y 27 



DOUBLE STARS. 

There are no double stars in the heavens. They 
are all single. But they seem to be lapping over 
one another in. passing on their orbit. I have known 
some in the heavens in the northern constellation 
to be double stars at one time and single at another 
time, and they stay single for four or five months, 
when they become double stars again. Ttrese stars 
simply pass on their orbit. Our sun furnishes light 
and heat to all stars that can be seen with the naked 
eye. Fixed stars and nebulas are not known to a 
naked eye. 



THE MILKY WAY. 

Galaxy, or the milky way, is that luminous clou-d- 
like band that stretches across the heavens in a 
great circle. It is inclined to the celestial equator 
about sixty-three degrees and intersects it in the 
constellations Cetus and Virgo. These stars seem 
to be turning clear around in heaven in three hun- 
dred and sixty-five and one-quarter of a day. In the 
summer or the last of June these stars are very 
nearly north and south, and in the last of October 
this belt of stars is east and west; and in the next 
three months, or the last of January, these stars are 
very near north and south again, and in this way it 
seems to continue in motion. But it is not the milky 
way or these countless stars that has this great 



28 



ASTRONOMY 



motion. It is our earth on its orbit about the north 
star. The stars in galaxy are no suns or nebulas ; 
they are only common stars that are receiving light 
and support from the sun. The suns are not so 
plentiful about our earth. The explanation of the 
suns is seen in this book where it treats on the sun. 



LONGUSCOPE. 

This longuscope represents an instrument to take 
the distance to far-off objects in space — the sun, the 



r —A 




moon and some of the stars — and by the aid of the 
earth for a base I will be able to determine very 



ECLIPSE OF THE SUN 29 

nearly the distance of these far-off objects. For in- 
stance, the sun. I will take the distance and its di- 
mensions at the same time. To get very near the 
exact distance, it will have to be performed at the 
equator, either in the spring of the year or in the 
autumn, when the sun crosses the equator of the 
earth. To use this instrument, it will have to be set 
at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, an hour before the 
sun is at the meridian, or an hour after the sun has 
passed the meridian. One hour of the earth's mo- 
tion is one thousand and thirty-eight miles an hour 
toward the sun. This one thousand and thirty-eight 
miles will furnish a base to determine the distance 
to the sun. To explain this instrument: A is the 
eyeglass, darkened enough so that the sun cannot 
affect a person's eye in looking at the sun. B is the 
rod that gives the angle to the sun from a level base. 
C is an adjustable circle or ring with a cross wire in 
the center. This circle can be adjusted to any size 
to cover any object in space. The eye-glass can be 
adjusted so it will be the same distance from the 
rod as the cross wire in the circle, at any size of a 
circle. 



THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 

The eclipse of the sun happens when the moon 
passes between the earth and the sun, and it hap- 
pens most frequently in the middle of spring or au- 
tumn of the year; but sometimes it will happen at 
any time in the year. Such eclipses will happen 
mostly in the summer on account of the position 
our earth is in and the way the moon passes on its 



jo ASTRONOMY 

orbit between the earth and the sun, as is shown in 
figure seven. The eclipse of the sun happens when 
the moon is dark, or new moon, and passes over the 
earth in the daytime. 



ECLIPSE OF THE MOON. 

These eclipses happen only when the moon is the 
farthest in the north, and when the moon is what is 
called full moon, and when our earth is either on 
the east side of its orbit or on the west side. When 
the earth is on the east side of its orbit, I mean east 
from Polaris, and when the moon is the farthest in 
the northeast from the sun and is full moon. 



SHOOTING STARS AND COMETS. 

The shooting stars are things that happen every 
hour of the days and nights. These shooting stars 
are formed in the sun and forced out into space. 
These cinders are at a welding heat when they leave 
the sun, and these commence cooling off and work 
off from the sun, outside the heat limit of the sun, 
which is a great belt around the sun. It extends 
about fifty millions of miles around the sun. It is 
sometimes called the zone ring around the sun. 
When these objects have passed outside of the zone 
belt they commence to look for an orbit in space*, 
and if they hold together long enough they will take 
up an orbit and become a second-class planet, like 
the moon ; and these second-class planets deA r elop 



MAGNITUDE OF STARS 31 

themselves in space and become first-class planets 
in time. Then, again, there are some that will not 
hold together but will go to eruption and become 
shooting stars ; and there are others that will hold 
together and maintain their fire for a time and pass 
through the space and exhibit a great light for some 
time while they last, and these destructive bodies 
are what what is called comets. 



MAGNITUDE OF STARS. 

What constitutes a magnitude is not given by as- 
tronomers. But I find it to be about three millions 
of miles to each magnitude. 




APR 17 1903 



